We measured stable isotopes (delta O-18 and delta C-13) in Sphagnum cellulose that
was extracted from a long peat core drilled in the ombrotrophic Mohos peat bog, Ciomadul
Mountain, Romania. The 10-m-long peat profile spans the period from 11,800 cal yr
BP to present. The delta O-18 and delta C-13 data indicate there were several cooling
events and warm periods in the area of the Mohos peat bog during the Holocene. The
8.2-ka cold event, however, was not detected using delta O-18 and delta C-13 values.
Response of the peat bog to changing environmental conditions was inferred using data
on organic matter accumulation, independent of the stable isotope results. All cool
periods during the Holocene, whether of short or long duration, were identified as
times of reduced organic matter accumulation rate. Similarly, dry periods were also
correlated with reduced accumulation rates of organic matter.
